Satyabadi BJD MLA Umakanta Samantaray has landed in trouble for attending Pradeep Maharathy’s funeral at the Swargadwar here last week as a case has been registered at the Sea Beach police station here against him for flouting Covid-19 guidelines. On Saturday, the Sea Beach police served a show-cause notice to him in the case registered under Sections 269/270 of IPC and 3 of Epidemic Diseases Act.
The case was registered following a complaint lodged by the Jagannath Sena, Puri, at the police station against Samantaray and School & Mass Education Minister Samir Ranjan Dash. However, no case has been registered against Dash for breaching Covid-19 rules. Samantaray later on Saturday apologised for participating in the funeral despite he was Covid positive and said he is ready to face the legal consequences for it.
He said he could not help attending the funeral as he was much sad over the death of Maharathy, who was like an elder brother and ideologuetoo.
As Minister Dsh had attended the funeral after 17 days of his Covid test result, no case has not been registered against him, informed Puri SP Akhileswar Singh.